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GSA offers cash for ideas to reduce federal travel costs

The General Services Administration is offering $35,000 to the winner of a
competition to improve how the government mines and takes advantage of federal
travel data.

GSA posted a competition to the Challenge.gov platform Feb. 14 asking for a
technology-based approach to identify ways for the agency to reduce travel costs.
Once it's proved at GSA, the developer must be able to provide it to all other
agencies.

"This tool is intended to show agencies where and how they can save money on
federal travel," the Federal Register notice stated. "The tool is
not intended to publicly display any agency's travel data and users will need to
log in via a certified username and password to interact with the tool. One of the
key purposes of the tool will be to provide agencies with visibility into their
travel spending and recommendations for cost-savings behaviors. In addition, the
tool will enhance internal transparency and hold agencies accountable for their
spending — steps which help to save money for American taxpayers."

Additionally, GSA wants developers to recommend ways for agencies to improve their
travel data or suggest
areas where the information is missing that could be helpful to understanding
travel spending.

"The purpose for this information is to gain an understanding of what the
government could do with additional data elements, if those data elements were to
be collected by agencies," the notice stated. "This will help increase awareness
of needed improvements in data collection, and further the goal of leading greater
transparency into government spending."

The tool should display travel data to highlight where the agency is spending
money, and emphasize primary categories or cost drivers where agencies can reduce
travel costs compared to appropriate government and industry benchmarks.

GSA will provide developers with sample federal data. The agency also encourages
competitors to be creative in using other data sets as long as they are sourced
properly.

The requirements for the tool are:

It must be an online, interactive tool that meets the goals and objectives
provided in this document.

It must be in open source code.

It must include documentation of all data sources used.

It must include a description of how the tool can be updated with additional
data from other agencies

The solver must provide recommendations to enhance government insights through
improvements in data collection.

GSA said it will award the winner a $35,000 prize, while the second place
developer would receive $30,000 and the honorable mention developer would get
$25,000.
Developers have until April 11 to submit their tool. GSA will announce the winner
on May 9.